The official group for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to vilify and isolate Israel internationally, uploaded a Facebook post this week urging their supporters to donate money because, “Israeli students are disturbing our activities by using an app and through social networking sites.”

The disturbance BDS leaders complained about was Act.il, launched three years ago as an initiative by students of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC) as a response to the rise in anti-Israel sentiments on social networking sites, especially after the IDF’s military campaigns of Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012 and Operation Protective Edge in 2014.

More than 1,000 students, most of them at IDC, volunteer and use the platform to respond to what they see as anti-Israel slander on the web. IDC students hail from dozens of countries, enabling them to respond to online defamation in some 35 languages.

About six months ago, Act.il released a mobile app that was downloaded by thousands of people around the world and significantly widened its circle of activists.

The post on the BDS page continued, “They disrupted an internet event attended by senior BDS figures and they are paid trolls, racists, inciters and Islamophobes and they are spreading anti-Palestinian propaganda.”

The post was received with glee among pro-Israel activists. “This post is a certificate of honor for our volunteers,” said Yarden Ben Yosef, the administrator of Act.il. “If we have reached a point in which they are anxious about us and are using us to ask for donations, apparently we are doing a good job.”

Here is the BDS Movement’s post:

Again, note the hypocrisy. This is a movement that bullies anyone who supports Israel, or who does not actively oppose Israel.

If you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen. And stop claiming we are stealing palestinianrecipes.

By the way, for the record, I have no financial backing and probably rip BDS more than anyone. Sheldon, if you are reading this, please contact me!

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An Aussie immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave is founder and managing editor of Israellycool, one of the world's most popular pro-Israel blogs (and the one you are currently reading)
He is a happy family man, and a lover of steak, Australian sports and girlie drinks